By Design

After last week’s post, I was honestly overwhelmed.

Not by the numbers — although I’ll admit, seeing almost six thousand people view the social media post and more than six hundred read the blog was humbling — but by the people.

The messages.
The prayers.
The check-ins.
The comments.

It reminded me of something I already knew, but needed to feel again:

We are not meant to do this alone. I am grateful for the community that poured over me and happy to report that I am doing well and recovering as expected! 

In all this, I keep hearing the same message over and over lately. "The body of Christ." "The Bigger Church." "The Kingdom Focus." The Community of Believers."

These are phrases I’ve heard my whole life, and if we’re not careful, they can start to sound like one of those churchy phrases we all nod at without really sitting with them. But this week, it didn’t feel like just a casual expression; it felt real. 

Paul says it plainly:

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
— 1 Corinthians 12:27

And a little earlier in that same passage: 

“The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’”
— 1 Corinthians 12:21

It is clear that each one... each person, each believer, is necessary

Not just the loud ones.
Not just the teachers or singers or leaders.
Not just the ones who always seem to know what to say.

But each and every one.

That’s the part that has me trying to wrap my head around the intentional creation of the whole lot of us! Because when you’re the one in need, you realize very quickly how much it matters that other people are willing to be part of the body.

Some people prayed.
Some people encouraged.
Some people checked in.
Some people simply loved us well.

And none of those things felt small in our time of need.

They felt like strength.

They felt like covering.

They felt like the body doing what the body was designed to do. 

Because my life seems to turn everything into a farm lesson eventually, I started thinking about the sheep. The sheep do not like to be alone.

They move together. Eat together. Rest together. Panic together. Get offended over the feed bowl together. 😅

They bump heads. They shove for a position. They act like there is not possibly enough room for everyone, even when there absolutely is. But they still want to be together. Even the confident ones that will wander to greener pastures or a shadier tree for a moment, come back to the barn on their own at dusk. When one is isolated for too long, that usually tells us something is wrong. Maybe illness. Maybe weakness. Maybe stress. But isolation is rarely a good sign in a flock.

I can’t help but see that’s true for us too. Isolation was never God’s design for His people.

From the beginning, God said:

“It is not good for the man to be alone.”
— Genesis 2:18

This was said before the fall of man.... this was seen in His design of humanity! We were created for connection, community, togetherness. 

And I don’t just mean having people around us. I mean being joined together with purpose.

The body of Christ is not just a support group, although it certainly supports. It is not just a social circle, although fellowship is a gift. It is a living, moving, working body with a mission.

And if part of the body is missing, the body is not as whole as it should be.

That thought should change the way we think about evangelism too.

Sometimes we talk about sharing Jesus like it’s a task we’re supposed to check off. But I think it’s more than that. What if we are not just inviting people to church… but helping restore missing parts of the body?

What if every person who comes to Christ makes the body stronger, more complete, more equipped to love and serve the world the way Jesus called us to?

Jesus said:

“For where two or three gather in My name, there am I with them.”
— Matthew 18:20

Something powerful happens when believers gather. I saw it last week as the body came together around me in trying times. But I also saw it in celebration at a friend’s wedding shower. Testimony about a bride's life lived faithfully created a love deeply felt by her community. Her testimony of Jesus marked the people around her for Jesus, and the community of believers grew! This is what happens in Acts 16:5, where testimonies shared "strengthened the church and increased their numbers daily."

That is the body.

It's not perfect, not always neat, and sometimes bumps heads over the feed bowl. 😄

But it's present, gathered, willing, and ready to share one another's burdens, encourage one another, and pray. I think that matters more than we realize.

The enemy loves isolation. He loves it when people feel forgotten, when people think they don’t matter. He loves it when someone quietly slips away and believes the lie that no one noticed.

But the Shepherd notices. And the body should notice too. 

So this week’s reminder is simple:

Stay close to your flock. If someone is missing, look for them. If someone is hurting, gather around them. If someone needs to hear the Gospel, share it with them, and if someone feels like they don’t have a place, remind them that the body is not complete without them.

We need each other. Not because we are weak, but because we were designed this way.

Who has God placed near you that may need to be reminded they are still part of the body and still deeply needed? Where in your life have you felt isolation? Can I, as part of the body, connect with you and pray for you?

Lord, thank You for the gift of community and for the people who gather around us when we need strength. Help me not to isolate when life feels hard, and help me notice when someone else has slipped away. Teach me to love my place in the body of Christ and to help others find theirs, too. Amen.

Until next time, keep following the Plott, and I will be praying for us all. 💛